Axle for motor-vehicles.



RJJ BURROWS.

AXLE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18. 1912 Patented Oct. 29, 1918,

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AXLE FOR MOTOR-VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

masses.

racemes oct. 29, was.

Application filed June 18'. 1917. Serial No. 175.507.

To all wltom it'may concern:

c it known that I, ROBERT J. Bunaows, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Buchanan, in the county of Berrien and State of Michigan, have invented certai-n new and useful Improvements in Axles for Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.v

y-an'vcntion relates to axles for motor ehlcles of thetype in which the axle as a hole comprises cad axle member which carries the wheel spindles, and a live axle through which r from the usual motor is transmitted to the wheels. Such live axle usually consists of differential gearing of any approved type which receives power from the motor through a propeller shaft, and transmits the power to the wheels carrying pinions at their outer ends which mesh with gears, either internal or external,

carried by the vehicle wheels. My present invention has particularly todo with axles of this general description and has for its object. to 'provide certain improvements by which the jack shafts may readilybe removedwhen the. wheels are dismounted, and are held in operative position against endwise movement by the wheels when the latter are in place on the spindles. I accom this object, ingsf-"- and as hereinafter described. That 'which I believe to be new will be set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a partial sectional view of my improved axle with the wheel in place; and Fig. 2 is an end view of the axle with the Wheel removed. the brake. drum being in section. Referring to the drawings. 53 indicates the dead axle member which. in the construction shown, is in the form of an I- beam having spring seats 4 at its ends. said seats hav'ng sleeves 5 to receive the inner ends of wheel spindles (3. 7 indicates the differential gearing and 89 the jack shafts heretofore referred to. The differential gearing 7 is mounted in a differential housing 10 which may be of any suitable construct-ion, and is provided w1th laterallyprojecting sleevesll wlnch mclose the ack two principal members, a

by means of jack shafts as illustrated in the drawag inst an'annnlar rib or shafts 8 and also carry at their outer ends roller or other anti-friction bearings 12 111 which the outer ends of the jack shafts Sarc mounted. The outer end of each of the. sleeves ll is mounted in a suitable socket in a plate or bracket 13 mounted upon the. sleeve 5 and non rotatably engaging the dead axle member by means of a shoulder H. which engages av flange 15 carried by the spring seat 4, as shown in Fig. 1. lhe bracket H: is also provided with an arm 16 which carries abrake-operating shaft 17. Said shaft. 17 carries the usual brake-operating cam 18 and may be rocked by a lever (not shown) in the usual way. 15) indicates a brake. band of the ordinary type whichis mounted upon' the bracket or plate 14 and is adapted to be expanded by the rocking of the cam 18. The arms ltimay also carry a bearing 20 in which may be mounted an external brake of any suitable 21 indicates one of the mounted upon the ends 8 9.' As indicated at 22 in Fig. 1, theouter faces of the pinions 21 are rounded slightly and are flush with the outer ends of the jack shafts on which they are mounted. lhe purpose. of this construction will be hereinafter explained.

23 indicates the spokes of one of the vehicle wheels of which .Z-i is the hub. 25 indicates a disk or plate secured to the inner face of the wheel around the hub. being preferably cast integral with the hub. Said plate is fixedly secured to the spokes by bolts 2(3'-2T. the latter bolts serving also to secure in position an internal gear ring 28 which is in position to mesh with the pinion 21 when the wheel is in place. Fitted between the gear an inturned liange 29 carried by a brake drum 30 which extends over the gear ring QSand brake band l$l,-as shown in Fig. l. The inner edge of the llange. 2!) abuts oll'sct portion 3] provided on the outer face of the-disk 25 in such position that it bears against the adjacent or outer face of the pinion 21 and the corresponding end of the jack shaft on which such pinion is mounted. This rib, therefore. not only helps to hold the brake drum 30 in position. but also serves as a pinions which are of the ack shafts ring 28 and the disk 2:? is

thrust bearing to prevent material endwise movement of the ack shaft. The bearing face of the pinion is rounded, as has been described, to provide a smoother bearing surface and to prevent excessive friction. The rib 3l being annular, it will be apparent that notwithstanding the rotation of the wheel again mounted on the spindle the wheel at once holds the jack shaftin proper operative posltion. It will be understood,

of course, that the inner ends of the-jack shafts have a non-rotary engagement with the differentialgearing as shown in Fig. 1,

but may be disconnected'therefrom by moving said jack shafts endwise, as will be -manifest from the illustration.

In the drawings I have shown the differential housing 10 as extending through an opening 32 in the center of the dead axle member 3, but this is notessential, and the dead and live axle members may either be connected intermediately with each other or be independent of each other as may be preferred.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is-' i 1. An axle for motor vehicles comprising a dead axle member having wheel spindles, a live axle member substantially parallel therewith and having differential gearing, jack shafts driven by said differential gearing, and pinions carried by said jack shafts, in combination with wheels mounted on said spindles, gears carried by said Wheels and meshing with said pinions, and annular bearings interposed between said wheels. and the adjacent ends of said jack shafts, whereby said bearings operate to hold said jack shafts against endwise movement.

2. An axle for motor vehicles comprising adead axle member having wheel spindles,

a live axle member substantially parallel therewith and having differential gearing, jack shafts driven by said differential gearing, and pinions carried by said jack shafts, in combination with Wheels mounted on said spindles, gears carried by said wheels and meshingwith said pinions, and plates secured to said wheels-and having annular ribs disposed opposite the ends of said jack shafts, whereby said ribs constitute thrust bearings for said jack shafts and hold them against endwise movement.

3. An axle for motor vehicles comprisinga dead axle member having wheel spindles,

bear against the outer face of the a dead axle member having wheel spindles,

a live axle'member substantially parallel therewith and having differential gearing, jack shafts driven by said differential gearing. and adapted to be moved endwise out of operative engagement therewith, a housing for said difierentialgearing, sleeves inclosing said jack shafts, said sleeves and supportin the outer end portions of said jack sha ts, and pinions mounted upon the outer ends of said jack shafts, in combination with wheels mounted upon said spindles, andhaving means adapted to bear against the ends of said jack shafts for holding them against endwise movement, and gears carried by said wheels andmeshing with said pinions.

5. An axle for motor vehicles comprising a dead axle member having wheel spindles,

roller hearings in said'jack shafts, in combination of operative engagement therewith, a housing for saiddiflerential gearing, sleeves inclosin said ack shafts, roller bearings in said s eeves and supportin the outer end portions of said jack sha ts, and pinions mounted upon the outer ends of sa1d jack shafts, in combination with wheels mounted upon said spindles, gears carried by said wheels and meshing with said pinions, and annular ribs carried by said wheels and adapted to bear against the outer ends of shafts for preventing endwise said jack movement thereof.

6. The combination with a dead axle member, wheel spindles carried thereby, and a live axle member comprising jack shafts and pinions carried by said jack shafts, of wheels mounted on said spindles, gears carried by said Wheels and meshing with said pinions, plates carried on the inner faces of said wheels, ing annular ribs, brake drums secured to said wheels and having internally-projecting flanges adapted to bear against said ribs, and brakes mounted on the dead axle member and adapted to engage the inner surfaces of said brake drums.

said plates having laterally project-- 7. The combination with a dead axle member, wheel spindles carried thereby, and a live axle member co mprising ack shafts and pinionscarried by said jack shafts, of

7 Wheels mounted on said spindles, gears carried by said Wheels and meshing with said 5 pinions, plates carried on the inner faces of to said wheels and having internally-projecting flanges adapted to bear against said ribs, and brakes mounted on the dead axle memher and adapted to engage the'inner sur-e faces of said brake drums, said ribs forming also end bearings for said' jackshafts.

ROBERT. J. BURRO'WS. 

